UNIVERSITY OF ECONOMICS – TECHNOLOGY FOR INDUSTRIES
FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES
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REVISION FOR ADVANCED SPEAKING
A. SPEAKING TEST FORMAT
PART DURATION FORMAT
Part 1: Introduction and 1 minute Answer 3 examiner’s
interview questions
Part 2: Individual long turn 3 minutes (1 minute to Talk about the topic given on
prepare and 2 minutes to the card
speak)
Part 3: Discussion 1 minute Answer 3 examiner’s
questions related to Part 2
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B. SAMPLE OF SPEAKING TEST
1. Introduction and interview
The examinee answers 3 examiner’s questions on some familiar topics.
Example:
Examiner: Who are you close to in your family?
Examinee: I’m close to my mom who is very caring and calm. She’s quite busy at work but
she’s always beside me when I need her.
2. Individual long turn
The examinee has 1 minute to prepare and 2 minutes to talk about the topic given on the card.
Example:
Describe a close friend.
You should say:
How long you have known this person
How you met
What kind of person he/she is
And explain why you like him/her.
3. Discussion
The examinee answers 3 further questions on the topic from part 2.
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C. TEST TAKING STRATEGIES AND MARKING CRITERIA FOR SPEAKING:
I. TEST TAKING STRATEGIES
1. Part 1: INTERVIEW
In this part of the test, the examiner ASKS the examinee 3 questions on some familiar topics,
such as home, family, work, studies, and interests.
1. Examiner: Who are you close to in your family?
Examinee: I’m close to my mom who is very caring and calm. She’s quite busy at work but
she’s always beside me when I need her.
2. Examiner: In what way is your family important to you?
Examinee: My family is extremely important to me. They’re my best friends. They support
me when things aren’t going well and when things are going well.
2. Part 2: SHORT PRESENTATION
In this part of the test, there will be given a TASK and some QUESTIONS. You have 1
minute to prepare and then TALK for 2 minutes.
- Step 1: Preparation
+ Note down at least one key idea for each part of the question.
Tip: A simple list is probably faster and easier than a diagram or mind map.
- Step 2: Presentation
+ Go through the points on the task card in order. Give examples and tell stories.
Tip: Examples are really important; whenever you don’t know what to say, give an example
from your own experience.
Sample: Students prepare in 1 minute and present briefly in 2 minutes.
One of my best friends is Raul. I met him at university in Barcelona where we were in the
same study group. I suppose it was over ten years ago. We got to know each other on the tennis
courts. What kind of person is he? He’s very active, a sporty type. He’s also a very determined
person. When he gets into something, he gives one hundred per cent. And he changes passions
often. That makes him a bit of a self- absorbed person actually, which I’d say is a drawback. And
I think he comes across as full of himself sometimes; I mean a bit too sure of his own opinions!
As for why I like him, well, he’s actually quite different from me. At university, he’d often suggest
doing something and I’d go along with it, and because I’m laid back I never felt overwhelmed by
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him. We’ve never fallen out of anything. Because we live in different countries, we don’t see each
other that often, but we try to catch up on a fairy regular basis, say, three times a year.
3. Part 3: DISCUSSION
II. MARKING CRITERIA
Criteria for
SKILLS GRADES
Part 1,2,3
GRAMMAR Ability to use precise grammar, avoid
RANGE AND fundamental mistakes, and steer clear of 0.5 1 1.5 2
ACCURACY significant grammatical errors.
LEXICAL Ability to utilize a rich, diverse, and precise
0.5 1 1.5 2
RESOURCE vocabulary without excessive repetition of
words.
Ability to speak continuously, naturally, and
FLUENCY AND smoothly without interruption. Ability to
0.5 1 1.5 2
COHERENCE organize opinions and ideas in a logical and
coherent manner.
Use correct intonation, stress, individual
PRONUNCIATION 0.5 1 1.5 2
sounds.
CONTENT Answer 3 examiners’ questions with correct
0.5 1 1.5 2
content.
D. REVISION FOR EXAM
TOPIC 1:
Describe a person you admire.
You should say:
Who the person is
What he/ she does
What he/ she is like
And explain why you admire him/her.
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TOPIC 2:
Describe a piece of advice about health that you find useful.
You should say:
what it is.
Where you got it.
When we should apply it
And why you find it useful.
TOPIC 3:
Describe your favourite subject at school or university.
You should say:
What the subject is
Why you like it
What you learn from it
TOPIC 4:
Describe a place in nature that you enjoy visiting.
You should say:
Where it is
What you do there
How often you visit
And explain why you enjoy visiting this place.
TOPIC 5:
Describe your favourite way to communicate with someone.
You should say:
What it is.
How you use it to communicate with others.
For how long you have been using this method.
And explain why you prefer to use this way to communicate with others.
TOPIC 6:
Describe a piece of equipment you often use at home or at work.
You should say:
what it is.
what you do with it/ How to use it.
how long you have had it.
how important it is to you.
TOPIC 7:
Describe a leisure activity that is popular in your country.
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You should say:
What the leisure activity is
How it is done
Why it is popular in your country
And explain why you think this activity is a good way to spend leisure time.
TOPIC 8:
Describe a toy you used to play when you were a child
You should say:
what it was
how you got it
what you did with it
and why you remember it well.
TOPIC 9:
Describe a park or other green space in your hometown or near where you are living now.
You should say:
Where it is
What it is like
What you can do there
And say if many people go there or not, and why.
TOPIC 10:
Describe a foreign culture that you are interested in.
You should say:
what this culture is
how you learned about this culture
what you know about this culture
and explain why you feel this culture is interesting.
TOPIC 11:
Describe a close friend.
You should say:
how long you have known this person how you met
what kind of person he/she is
and explain why you like him/her.
TOPIC 12:
Describe an exciting competition or sporting event you have witnessed.
You should say:
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what the competition or sporting event was.
When and where it took place.
Who won.
and explain why it was exciting.
TOPIC 13:
Describe your dream job.
You should say:
what qualifications or experience you would need.
What the job would involve
what you think the most difficult thing about the job would be
and explain why you it is your dream job.
TOPIC 14:
Describe your favourite season.
You should say:
what the season is and when it occurs.
What the weather is like during this season.
What your typical activities are during this season.
and explain why it is your favourite season.
TOPIC 15:
Describe a language other than English that you would like to learn.
You should say:
what the language is
where it is spoken
what you think would be difficult and what would be easy about learning the language
and explain why you would like to learn it.
TOPIC 16:
Describe a piece of electronic equipment that you find useful.
You should say:
what the piece of equipment is.
when and where you got it.
what you use it for.
and explain why you find it useful.
TOPIC 17:
Describe a hobby you enjoy.
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You should say:
how long you have been doing it
how often you do it
what benefits you get from it
and explain why you enjoy it.
TOPIC 18:
Describe a happy childhood memory.
You should say:
when and where the incident you remember happened.
who you were with.
what happened exactly
and explain why it is a happy memory.
TOPIC 19:
Describe a place that you enjoy visiting.
You should say:
where the place is.
what you can see and do there.
how it has changed since you first visited it.
and explain why you enjoy visiting this place.
TOPIC 20:
Describe a festival that you enjoy.
You should say:
when the festival occurs
where it occurs
what happens during it
and explain why you enjoy the festival.
